Doncaster slipped to the bottom of the Championship despite a second-half equaliser from substitute Chris Brown. Rovers were staring at a fourth straight defeat after Jermaine Easter's first goal since Christmas put Crystal Palace ahead. But Brown, who has missed most of the season through injury, swept in the leveller just four minutes after coming on.

However, a point was far from ideal for either side as Portsmouth climbed above Rovers at the bottom while Palace's already slim play-off hopes suffered another dent.

Dean Saunders' side did not start like a team floundering at the wrong end of the table and should have converted at least one of three early chances.

In the third minute Frédéric Piquionne crossed from the left but Fabien Robert's shot was too close to the Eagles goalkeeper Julian Speroni.

Unfortunately for Rovers, Piquionne then began to show why West Ham were happy to let him leave on loan in January. After a quarter of an hour the French striker had a free header from Simon Gillett's cross, six yards out in front of goal, but put his effort woefully wide.

Moments later Robert fed Piquionne in the Palace area but this time he could only prod the ball onto the foot of Speroni's right-hand post.

Palace's cause was not helped by losing two centre-halves to injury in the opening 25 minutes. Paul McShane and then his replacement, Anthony Gardner, both limping out of the action.

The Rovers full-back Pascal Chimbonda was also forced off in the first half, while Palace's enforced reshuffle perked them up and they almost took the lead before the interval.

Wilfried Zaha, on his return from a three-match ban, tore down the left and his low cross found the substitute Glenn Murray, whose first-time shot forced a fine point-blank save from the Rovers keeper Carl Ikeme.

Palace took the 12 minutes after the break, with Zaha the architect. The teenage winger tricked his way to the left byline and crossed hard and low for Easter to tap-in at the near post.

It could have been two moments later but Murray headed Chris Martin's corner into the side-netting at the far post.

Rovers sent on Brown and the former Sunderland trainee made an immediate impact on only his second appearance since August. In the 76th minute El-Hadji Diouf's cross was only half-cleared by Nathaniel Clyne, Piquionne headed the ball back into the danger area and, while Paddy McCarthy dithered, Brown scored from close range.